Morgana and the Goddess
by Rozin S. Blane
Summary: Partially a modern AU of Merlin, all characters have been resurected and the Tripple Goddess lives among them to keep Morgana from reliving her tragic death and to meddle in what ever she pleases. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Voices

**Chapter 1 "yes, professor"**

Merlin had been living in The Netherlands for one whole year now. For the five years before England had become haunted to him; and because so much time had passed since he had last seen Arthur it frightened him more than he had ever anticipated. He saw the firures of Priestesses roaming the streets day and night, wandering through the mists and rain calling out to eachother and The Mother Goddess herself. Among them he heard a young woman in dreams and hallucinations. She spoke of war and rebirth, not that Merlin remebered her exact words when he woke. He had lived in that particular area too long anyway; people would start to question why he hadn't died yet and why he and his "grandson" were never in a room together.

The last time he had left England he had helped to start a nation; unintentionally of course, he had picked up the rifle to look like he belonged in the army he was staying with. He hadn't known how to use it then and he didn't know how to use it now. He sighed now thinking of all the wars he had lived through. Each time he beleived that to be when Arthur would return to him. But deep down each and every time he knew, it was not the time. Possibly, it never would be time.

But in his new life here he had no need to appear as an old man, he was his proper age serving as a young Professor of Arthurian Legends to an oblivious, or mostly oblivious, generation. Today was the first lecture of the year and he was already late. Stumbling into the hall he dropped all of his things at his desk, took note of the quarter full room, and began to fiddle with the projector. He had always hated projectors. It was embarassing enough that he has a Professor dealing with this but for all his power this small contraption mocked his skill and knowledge. For the most part he had stopped using his magic though. Technology was magical enough for him.

Merlin jumped when the door burst open, as all the students did, and a thin, tall woman with dark wavy hair wearing dark colors rushed to her seat. Merlin eyed her from the corner of his eye for a moment, her hair and clothing were dishevled and it appeared her hair was not dark colored just dirty. He continued to mess with the machine a moment longer before surrendering and using his magic to power the infernal divice. The powerpoint came to life with a clip of handrawn portraits of Arthur and his knights riding on horseback towards the Lake of Avalon lined with Saxon barbarians, all of them- including Sir Mordred the traitor- on foot save for Morgana who defiantly sat on a rearing horse in the middle of them raising a hand clenching a bloody decapitated head and lifted her chin in a dare to ride forward. The video ended in a flash of light as Arthur and his men neared the enemy line and Morgana threw forth the head with a chilling cry of "Come to die!"

When the clip had ended he turned towards the class. "Alright," he said. "Welcome to Arthurian Legends. You will be here for the remainder of the year. If you wish to study Mythology get out and go next door, I speak only of truth for I was there. I am Merlin, after all these years I don't really have a last name so I suppose to you I will be Emrys. I am not lying nor am I joking, young man in the red." Merlin gestured towards a student in the back of the room who had been whispering to a friend nearby. "Then why aren't you old?" he called down. "I am old." Merlin replied. "I don't like to look my age, obviously you don't like to act your age." he grinned at a woman in the front who had laughed at his jest.

"Now then, let us begin. Morgana Le Fay Pendragon, a woman known by many names throughout time whose origin may lie in the title of The Morrigan. The Morrigan being the Celtic Goddess of war and death, generally displayed as a Raven or Crow as a physical body for the Goddess herself. There are some who say Morgana was fatefully named after her, for some of her other names, such as Morgan, resemble closely the sound of The Morrigan. There are also those who beleive Morgana, or Morgan, was a reincarnation or incarnation of the Goddess The Morrigan. Either way she was evil for the remainder of her days following many singlehanded rebellions against the King, her father, Uther Pendragon. Now, the name Le Fay means "of the fairies" from which stems another of her names which you might all know, Morgaine Le Fay. The same Morgaine as Marion Zimmber Bradley's novel, "The Mists of Avalon". There are other users of the name but that's the first that comes to my mind."

"Now as for as I am concerned the only magic involved in her birth was of her mother's royal Avalon blood. Whether or not that is why she is "of the fairies" i would guess is debatable. Her other surname, Pendragon, means "Great Dragon" and is a symbol of great power;" he paused for a moment, reflecting breifly on what he knew of her and her death, it made him horribly miserable. "It was a fitting name seeing as she had great power. I wish she had chosen a different path for its use." _Her path was part of one of the most influencial legends in history._ the voice of the woman from his dreams rang clear in his head. "So, onwards with the lecture, let us look into her childhood.'' he said moving to his desk and picking out a remote for the slides. The next slide was a potrait of Morgana, one that had been painted of her when she was a young girl sitting happily in the gardens outside of Tintagel Castle. _She was born to be a ruler, that passage was stripped from her when you murdered her sister._ the woman said to him. _You set her on the path of darkness which lead her to her death . _Merlin did not know how to respond to the voice while teaching. He rubbed the back of his head hoping he could ignore the voice. _The time is near and you are not prepared._ the woman said. _Stop wasting time on the past and look to the present, I am near and so is Arthur!_ she said, nearly yelling. _They are alive. They are coming. I will raise them with myself, back to the dark ages! Back to the time you know best! Back! _the voice cried. _Back! Back! It all will return in it's glory and power! The ruins rise from the dust and the grave yeilds its dead! Back Emrys! You must go back!_


	2. An awkward summon

**Sorry it took so long**

Chapter 2 "An awkward summon"

Merlin stirred from his uncomfortable position on what felt like a floor. His head hurt and he felt bruises forming on his legs and arms. He rolled to stand up and opened his eyes to see the floor rise towards him. _Thud._ "Now everything hurts." He muttered. He pushed himself off the ground and stared in awe at his hands, it had just been another dream. He was still an old man wandering the island waiting for Arthur. He held the edge of his desk and pulled himself upright. In falling he had scattered papers and books once neatly stacked in small piles. "Why was I laying on my desk? Oh what does it matter?" He kicked some of the papers under the desk and headed towards the door.

Through the small window he could see a thick fog outside; once again shadowed figures walked through speaking softly. Hesitantly he opened the door and started walking; not sure where he was going. This time he was certain he was awake. As the figures neared him he realized they were citizens and not priestesses or shadows. They were having normal everyday conversations and going about their business completely unaware of his existence.

But he could feel behind him, someone was following him. A woman in heels, she stayed a couple meters behind him. Carefully he tried to throw her off by changing his pace or forcing his way through crowds. When it became apparent he couldn't lose her he turned to confront her. She walked up to him and waited for him to speak. "Please stop following me. You don't know who I am." He said calmly. "I did not watch them die multiple times to have you live. I've been trying to warn you, they're coming back." She said, her voice echoing through the street. "Soon, yes, I figured that out a decade ago when all of this-" he waved his arms gesturing to the fog and figures. "Appeared and started taunting me."

"What?" she cried out. "Taunting you? After all the years you've lived a little change in the weather is what bothers you! This is nothing compared to what lies ahead. The rest are returning _tonight_! Go prepare yourself!"

"The rest? Who's back?" Merlin asked; he had been relatively calm but now he was worried. "Go home." She said brushing passed him. "Who are you?" he called after her. "Who's back!" She looked back at him and vanished in a hail of golden dust. He stood for a while, staring at the spot where she had stood. People continued to move past him as rain settled over the city. It was getting cold and still he stared at the spot sifting through the small amount of knowledge he had. Someone had returned, and they were likely in his home; frightened and lost at the sudden change of scenery. The differences of the late fifth and early sixth century in comparison to the twenty first were otherworldly. All of the noise and light, even the architecture would be foreign. The shock would make Saxons look benign.

At long last he would see his friends again, but who knew how some of them might behave now. If Uther returned would Igraine return with him? And would it matter to him if she did; would it make a difference in his fear and hatred of magic? What about Morgana? Would she still be hell-bent on the murder of everyone she knew? Would Mordred and Morgause return with her? His worry grew worse and worse as he walked towards his home.

"I must look crazy." He thought to himself. "An old man running down the street, terrified." He ignored all basic safety needs as he hurried home. Buses and cars nearly flattening him as he crossed roads. Police stared in wonder as he hurried past; but none stopped him. He was cautious not to jostle anyone and on several occasions used his magic to make them misstep slightly out of his path. "Would the knights return first?" he wondered. "Will any of them remember who they are? If they do they'll be put in a madhouse for sure." He tried to imagine Arthur in a straight jacket yelling that he was the king and that was an act of treason.

Then he thought of Gwenivere; hopefully if she did remember she would comply instead of punching a cop in the face. There was a thought, the beautiful queen confused and alone and punching people because she didn't have a sword. Then he stopped dead in his tracks. Would any of them be returned together? Would they wake from the dirt and see each other before anything else? The only reason this concerned him was because Morgana and Mordred had been a bad combination; but adding Morgause to the mix? They could level London in a couple of hours. But they wouldn't have any reason to right?

He hurried along, even faster than before, to his home. As he opened his front door he noticed some of his witch hazel had been trimmed. From his first glance around no one was there. He checked the toilet and bedrooms; all empty and untouched. He sat down hesitantly at his couch in thought. "Perhaps I got here sooner than she anticipated." He said to himself. Then _crash_ something heavy fell in his kitchen breaking a glass table he had been meaning to get rid of. He stood and ran to the kitchen. On the floor was an unconscious Gaius and next to him was a bowl of oil made from witch hazel.

Merlin lifted him and sat him up in a chair before waking him with spirit of hartshorn. Gaius shook his head and grasped his left arm groaning.

"It's alright Gaius; I've got some witch hazel oil here to help with the bruising." Merlin said. "Who the devil are you?" Gaius asked indignantly. "You don't remember me?" Merlin asked. "No! And I don't know any Gaius either! What's witch hazel oil and why does my arm hurt?" Gaius stood and backed away from Merlin. "What is your name then? You were unconscious here in my home; I just want to help you." He said calmly.

Gaius thought for a moment. "I don't know what my name is; why do I have so much knowledge of herbs and animals? Why did you call me Gaius?" "Please sit down, I'm your friend. My name is Merlin. You were once my teacher; you are very wise- sometimes more so than I am. You're name _is_ Gaius. Witch hazel will help your bruising." Gaius sat down and dipped his fingers in the oil before rolling up his sleeve and rubbing it onto his already formed bruise.

"Why don't I remember very much?" he asked quietly. "I don't know." Merlin replied. "But if you don't remember I doubt anyone else will. I've got to find them before they hurt themselves or someone else. And you need a change of clothes; sixth century clothing will not work well here. Fifteenth century clothing and people would think you're going to work at a fair." "You're not making any sense." Gaius commented. "I'm not sure I ever have." Merlin said as he turned to a knock at the kitchen door. The woman from before stood in the doorway, behind her was Gwenivere with her arms crossed over her chest as she looked about anxiously.


	3. The Goddess enters

**It's wierd I'm sorry.**

"Gwen!" Merlin said happily. She focused on him but did not reply. "She's a little confused Emrys." The woman said. "I'll be back with Arthur soon; if you'd like to help me gather them- I know how worried you are- there's a list of addresses on your door." With that she again vanished in a hail of golden dust. Gwen was startled and pressed herself against the doorframe; inching way from the ring of dust. "Lunecra!" Gwen said in shock. "Where did she go?" Merlin grasped her upper arm gently. "Gwenivere…" he said. "Sit down, here next to Gaius." Gwen tore her arm from his grasp. "Where did Lunecra go?" she asked.

"She said she went to get Arthur, come here and sit. I don't want you going into shock." He gestured kindly to the chair next to Gaius. She looked them both over before sitting down. "Are you hurt at all?" Merlin asked. Gwen shook her head. "Good; I'm going to go look over the addresses she left on the door." They watched him leave the room. When he was gone Gwen looked to Gaius in curiosity. "You look familiar." She said. "As do you but I don't know why. Do you suppose we'll remember everything we've forgotten?" She shook her head thoughtfully. "Lunecra said we would; but it might take time because a man- I assume the one in the other room- might get in the way until he trusted her."

Gaius looked to the door Merlin had left through. "His name is Merlin, he seems to know us. Tell me Gwen, do you remember anything at all?" Gwen thought for a moment. "My name is Gwenivere, I know blacksmithing traits and… some combat tactics." She said hesitantly. "I know this sounds strange but I think- I think I know how to run a kingdom of some large stature." She looked up at Gaius in concern, "What do you remember?" Gaius didn't hesitate in responding. "My name is Gaius, I was Merlin's mentor when he was young. I am a master healer and an expert on living creatures many believe to be myth. In my memory I can see pages and pages on my studies; and one such page was written by a woman named Morgan who- being a woman- was persecuted for her scholarly ways. She was supposed to be the only person to have ever met a living Goddess;" he leaned towards her and lowered his voice. "She said in her writings that the Gods in human form can change locations on a whim and they vanish in a hail of golden dust."

They both looked to the dust on the floor just beneath the door. It was no longer in a circle with the door having moved and Merlin walking over it. They both stared in thought and jumped when Merlin barged in with papers in hand. One was a small yellow paper with a list of addresses the other was a large and ancient parchment with faded lines and writing. He spread the parchment on the table and breathlessly marked different locations with names. Each location on the small paper was a place from when Arthur was alive, none of them went by the same name now but Merlin remembered where they were. Next to the location were names, many of them were listed next to Avalon which made sense since that was most of their final resting places. As he went down the list he became increasingly concerned that the majority of the knights as well as Morgana and Morgause were not on the list.

"How will she bring the rest of them here?" Gaius asked. "I don-" Merlin began. A soft thud followed by a groan in the other room cut his sentence short. He turned away quickly and opened the door to see Arthur laying on the couch with a very angry but composed look on his face. "Arthur." Merlin called. "Get in here your wife is waiting to see you." He hadn't meant to address that so soon but it seemed the words fell out of his mouth not of his will. Arthur glared at him warily and slowly made his way over to the doorway. "Who are you?" he demanded of Merlin. "Who are _you_?" Merlin countered. "I am Arthur; this woman is my wife- I seem to know how to rule a kingdom…" Arthur looked down and to the right in thought. "I know how to rule a kingdom? I know combat techniques?" Gwen spoke up. "I'm married to him, Merlin? Arthur is my husband." Arthur straightened and looked Merlin dead in the eyes. "MERLIN? I have an overwhelming urge to slap you."

Merlin took a step towards him. "Yes you usually do, now go sit down and I'll be back in a bit with some friends." "Where on this map are you going to? I recall many of these places marked being dangerous." Gaius commented. "I'm going to Avalon." Merlin replied. "That's where most of them were when I last saw them. I get the feeling that that list is who she'll gather; I have to find some others…" "I don't like the way you said that, _Merlin_." Arthur said grumpily. "Are they dangerous?" Merlin sighed. "I'm not sure, it's been a long time since I've seen them and their violence was relatively short lived. I understand why they did it; but I never agreed with it." With that he left them alone to theorize and explore this world they knew nothing of. So far nothing was frightening but all very strange and fascinating. There was still glass on the floor where Gaius had fallen and it refracted what little light there was coming in through the windows.

Gwen and Arthur did not speak to each other but simply stared in wonder. One didn't know the other yet Merlin had said they were married. They didn't know anything about themselves; why would they know about someone else? Now left alone they silently all dismissed themselves to go look around. Gaius went out into the back garden to inspect the livelihood of Merlin's plants. Arthur went to the front yard and sat on the front stoop to watch the strange contraptions moving quickly down the street with people in them. Gwenivere stayed indoors; it felt safer to her.

She looked through the different rooms touching everything gently so as not to break it. All the while she expected to find another person brought in by Lunecra and just as quickly abandoned. It seemed to her that they all knew each other, "In a different life maybe." She though to herself, then she laughed to herself. "What a silly notion." She chided herself. She sat on the edge of the bed in the small room she was in. "If that man outside is my husband, where are my family? The rest of them I mean… Do I have any other friends? Is it odd here to be friends with men of such age gap? I doubt it would be." She stayed there, lost in thought for a few minutes before something caught her eye. There was a rag moving across the floor making a chittering noise. She stood and removed the rag, following the small creature underneath it outside to where Gaius was trimming some birds of paradise. It crawled up to Gaius' foot and chirped. "What is that?" Gwen asked. "Yes, what is it?" Arthur echoed climbing over the fence and walking over to Gwen's side. Gaius looked down. "Ah, that's a baby platypus. It doesn't belong on this side of the world. Merlin must've needed it for something. But I think it will rain soon, we should all go back inside and wait for his return. Gwen take that towel you've got there and carry the baby inside; I doubt Merlin wants it lost. These creatures symbolize isolation and secrecy. Merlin probably keeps it around to make sure no one finds him out. They also show ancient knowledge and mystery; I get the feeling Merlin also needs to keep that around."


End file.
